Maine's farms and agricultural attractions would love to have you visit. You can find the freshest foods and agricultural products and buy them directly from our farmers. In addition, you can enjoy the scenery, get a breath of fresh air and perhaps get a bit of exercise, too. Plan your trip for maple-syrup days in March, during apple picking in late fall and or in Christmas-tree season in December. Agricultural fairs are held throughout the state and are perfectly suited for a day out with the family. It's a great way to discover Maine’s agricultural heritage. While you’re here, enjoy the rural landscape, brought to you by Maine farmers its entries for outstanding hard ciders from these 16 cider makers.

Kennebec Cider- We are a family-owned business in Winthrop, Maine dedicated to making traditional New England craft hard cider. We grow our own apples and buy apples from other local Kennebec Valley growers for our ciders. We only press our cider once a year-- in the fall, when apples are at their peak flavor. We never use concentrates, flavorings, or artificial colors; just a blend of traditional New England apples. To bring out the apple in our cider, we allow it to slowly ferment and age at cold temperatures for up to a year. Awards: 2011 Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition - Silver, Maine Ice Cider; 2010 Maine Technology Institute Seed Grant Award Winner

THE CIDER:

Cayford's Hardend Cider- It’s a pure product. There’s nothing in it but our apples, with no sulphates. When it is bottled, the cider is roughly 7 percent alcohol by volume; but by the time it “conditions off,” the alcohol content is closer to 10 percent.

THE CIDERS:

Dry Cidah- Our flagship dry is brewed using 100% fresh pressed Maine apples. We use wild Maine yeast to ferment this classic, which has varied levels of funk depending on the batch it came from. Crisp, tart, acidic, and refreshing, this is the definition of Maine terroir.

Hopped Cidah- Conditioned on cascade hops, this dry cidah has a healthy amount of citrusy hoppyness making the IPA drinkers grin uncontrollably when discovering this brew.

Baby Jimmy- This bourbon barrel aged cidah always makes waves at festivals for its complex oaky, funky notes that flip peoples perception of what hard cider can be. A nod to it’s father Jim Beam vessel, Baby Jimmy is always a special occasion.

Sidrah- fermented in the style native to the Basque region of Spain, is available in Maine and New York! Made with organic apples and aged for two years, we did one run and have very limited supply. This is a must-taste for cider enthusiasts!

THE CIDERS:

Norumbega Classic Hard Cider- is our flagship cider. It is a combination of dessert, culinary, and cider fruit, yeast, and time. While the blend of apples will change from year to year, the overall approach is the same: a crisp, dry, traditional cider, slightly carbonated and very refreshing!

Norumbega Spice Hard Cider- is a bold complement to the Maine winter. With a combination of classic mulling spices, it's great on its own either hot or cold, and in cooking. Many also like it with a slice of orange!

Norumbega Berry Medley Hard Cider- is a loud fruity punch! Steeped in blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, this also has a wonderful rose color and a nice bubble. A great choice for a hot day on the beach or at the lake.

Norumbega Honey Hard Cider- is fermented with 100% Maine honey. It has a great honey nose, slight honey taste. We leave it still (or uncarbonated) for a smooth but also refreshing experience. As with all our ciders, this too has no residual sweetness, though the honey flavor may deceive.

Lost Orchard Brewing Company and Crooked Angel Ciderhouse- Maine Craft Hard Cider at it's Best! Be Afraid...Be very Afraid...

Whaleback Farm Cider- is pressed from locally foraged and farmed apples, over 30 different varieties in the 2014 blend, including Golden Russet, Baldwin, Liberty, Tolman Sweet, Northern Spy, Winter Banana, Coles Quince, Maiden’s Blush, Snow, Duchess, Cortland and many as yet un-named varieties from wild trees found growing along old roads and field edges. The juice is cold fermented through the winter, then blended and bottle-conditioned to achieve the best possible balance of sweetness, acidity and tannin. The finished product is unpasteurized, unfiltered and contains no added sulfites or sorbates so the cider is as close to the apples it came from as possible

Ricker Hill Orchards- After over 200 years of apple farming the Ricker Family has decided to kick back and have a cold one. We invite you to try for yourself what happens when farmers take drinking responsibly into their own hands. Ricker Hill has been growing Maine apples for nine generations. In 1803 we started in Turner, a small town in the foothills of Maine. We now grow everything from crisp red apples to sourly sweet cranberries. It is said that hard cider is like wine in that; the fruit it is made from determines its flavor. Maine’s warm days make the apples grow, cool nights keep them firm and crisp, and the occasional frost gives them spectacular color enabling us to grow a superb fruit. It is with this fruit that Ricker Hill has started making its hard cider.

Portersfield Cider- is a farm-based conservation center. Our orchards include over 250 apple and pear varieties, many in danger of extinction.

THE CIDERS:

Sow's Ear Cider- This dry English-style cider is made from the juice of wild, unsprayed apples. It is fermented slowly at cool temperatures in the cellar. No commercial yeasts or sulfiting agents are added. Continued development in the bottle may create some sediment and produce a slight haze.

Sow's Ear Sparkling Cider- Made from unsprayed apples using the methode champenoise, this sparkling cider goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle, after which it is disgorged by hand. No sulfites are added, to preserve its fresh, crisp flavor.

The Cyder Market hard cider information for cider makers and drinkers in Maine.

THE CIDERS:

Whaleback Traditional Dry Cider- starts with fresh picked local apples, sourced from small orchards and found growing wild along old roads and field edges. They’re pressed here on the farm and the juice is cold fermented in small batches then aged on oak barrels. The cider is bottle conditioned and may develop sediment or a slight haze after long keeping.

Whaleback Honey Elder- is a blend of traditional dry cider, locally sourced Maine wildflower honey and the fresh pressed juice of elderberries grown here on the farm. Redolent of all that blooms in fields and forest edges, wildflower honey add notes of grassy floral sweetness to the clean palate of the cider. Rich with tonic properties and deep herbaceous flavor, the elderberry lends structuring tannin and a rose tint.

Barrel Reserve- It's all about the oak. From the fall press to spring bottling, this blend lived in tight grained white oak casks. The slow churn of primary fermentation caused the cider to absorb a greater degree of oakiness from the cask than would have been acquired during typical barrel aging, resulting in a more vinous texture and a tannic complexity with lingering notes of vanilla and spice that mellow the dry apple finish.

Northern Native- This cider gets its deep rose coloration from a pair of fruiting shrubs native to Maine and grown here on the farm. Sambucus and Aronia - Elderberry and Chokeberry - have been used for millennia for the tonic properties derived from their high content of anthocyanins, which also causes their purple hue. These dark berries, rich in antioxidants, impart herbaceous flavor, complex structure and a sprightly mouthfeel to the cider.

Rocky Ground Cider- Hard cider made from wild & heirloom apples. Our falls are spent searching for apples that are high in sugar, low in acid, and full of tannins. We press the juice here in Newburgh. It goes into wooden barrels in the cellar and then wild yeast do the rest. Every batch is unique, changing from year to year based on the apples that are available.

Honeymaker and Maine Mead Works- was founded in 2007 with the goal of re-introducing the world to the oldest of all fermented beverages. Using locally sourced honey, clear, pure water and our own proprietary yeast strain, we blend ancient tradition and modern science to produce distinctive wines at our meadery in downtown Portland, Maine. In collaboration with South African scholar Dr. Garth Cambray, Maine Mead Works developed a state-of-the-art continuous fermentation system, bringing mead making into the 21st century. HoneyMaker, a decidedly modern mead — crisp, dry and refreshing — is the result.

THE CIDERS:

Mainiac Gold Cider- All of the Mainiac Cider products are made with only the highest quality apples which have been grown on the family farm since 1803. Mainiac Gold is made primarly from Golden Delicious apples mixed in with a secret blend of other varieties of golden apples that yield a balanced, fruity expression of Maine. This lightly sweet, milly carbonated beverage with a crisp, clean finish will quench your thirst and satisfy your taste buds.

Mainiac Mac- is made primarily from McIntosh apples mixed in with a secret blend of other varieties of apples. The result is a naturally sweet drink with a fruity expression of Maine. With its mild carbonation and crisp clean finish, Mainiac Mac will quench your thirst, satisfy your taste buds, and leave you wanting more.

Mainiac Gold with Cranberry- is made primarily from Golden Delicious apples mixed in with a secret blend of other varieties of golden apples and our tart cranberries. The result is a sweet drink with a tart kick. With its mild carbonation, Mainiac Gold with Cranberry is the perfect for when you want a little tang to your drink.

Mainiac Honey Crisp- apples have become a favorite amongst our customers, being known for their intense flavor and crisp crunchiness. This cider is blended very little with other varieties in order to maintain as much of the Honey Crisp eating experience as possible.

Mainiac Black- is made from a well-balanced blend of old hard cider apple varieties. The blend is made up of bittersweet Dabinett apples, sweet sharp Wickson apples, and early American Golden Russet apples. These varieties thrive in Maine's rugged climate, producing apples with superior character for our highest grade cider. Enjoy this fine cider as it makes any occasion a special one.

Mainiac Hopped Honey Oak- is a filtered, mildly carbonated hard cider made with a special blend of Ricker Hill apples. Once our cider is ready we add the hops and oak chips and let them soak together for a period of time. The end result is a cider with a light hoppy note and oaky flavor.

Mainiac Ice- is produced from a special variety of apples grown on our farm. With its full body taste and rich aroma, Mainiac Ice will warm you from the inside out. Mainiac Ice is made from a special variety of apples pressed into cider and frozen outside during the winter. In the spring it's partially thawed to less than 1/5 of the original volume and fermented into an ice cider that we then filter and add a mild amount of carbonation to.

Mainiac Maple- is a deep amber colored cider with a rich maple aroma on the nose. This cider is made with real Maine Grade A maple syrup. Crisp acidity on the palate, full of body and flavor witha semi sweet finish. Our Mainiac Maple is guaranteed to please any maple lover and those who don't yet know they love maple cider.

Mainiac Pumpkin- is a filtered, mildly carbonated hard cider that tastes like, well, pumpkin. We take our cider and add spices that will remind you of a delicious pumpkin treat.

Belstar Orchards- We are a couple of hard cider enthusiasts working toward bringing a first-class apple cider to the Northeastern United States. We rely on traditional cider-making methods and cider-specific apple varieties (picked right here in Maine!). Our vision is one of restoration, connecting the passion of craft cider enthusiasts with growers of traditional cider fruit. Rekindling a passion for cider, we hope to reconnect a disillusioned populace with their roots, allowing them to consume a beverage favored by their forefathers. As Ben Franklin said, "Give me yesterday's bread, today's meat, and last year's cider." Cheers!

Norumbega Cidery- and Norumbega Hard Cider brand are the efforts of the Fralich family. We believe strongly in the history and traditions of rural Maine and the contributions they have made. Cider is an important part of that history, and we are here to bring it back to life! It has been a busy and exciting year at Norumbega Cidery: the first trees were planted, the ciderhouse went up, we continued to expand the fields that will one day be the orchard. In spring, new trees will be planted, pigs will be roaming and forage crops will be planted...but don't forget about all the cider to come this fall!

Sow's Ear Winery- The Sow’s Ear doesn’t make your traditional wines. They grow fruit and make wine from that fruit, so think bottles packed with the flavors of blueberry, cranberry, apple, rhubarb and the like. But just as that thought passes through your mind, take out the sweet. Totally remove the idea of sweet, sugary wine from your thoughts. This wine is focused and slightly fruity, but solid and worthy of being served alongside a beautiful, savory Maine dinner.

THE CIDER:

Cove Road Cranberry Cider- Lightly sparkled with enough apple to call it cider and enough cranberry to give you a "good smack".

Pear Cider- Delightfully pear, lightly sparkled, nicely refreshing.

Blacksmiths Winery and Fatty Bampkins Cider- is produced in South Casco, Maine from fresh cider pressed at Ricker Orchards, Turner, Maine. We use six apple varieties which are pressed separately. The cider is barrel fermented in bourbon and rye barrels with three different yeasts and aged for four months in the barrels. We then blend and filter the cider to produce a crisp, clean cider. At Blacksmiths Winery we follow a purity standard for our ciders. We use fresh pressed cider which has not been treated or pasteurized in any way. The only other ingredients are yeast, apple juice, sorbates and sulfites as preservatives. We never use sugar, flavorings, or colorings - ever. We strive to produce the best cider we can using only these ingredients.

THE CIDERS:

Fatty Bampkins Dry- is barrel fermented in bourbon and rye barrels with three different yeasts and aged for four months in the barrels. We then blend and filter the cider to produce a crisp, clean cider.

THE CIDER:

Coming Soon!

THE CIDERS:

Hoboken Station Cider- A field blended cider comprised of many esoteric, bittersweet, cider specific apple varieties. Each tank is allowed to spontaneously ferment through the winter with the yeasts native to the fruit and our cellar. Bottled unfiltered with no sulfites added. Bottle-conditioned.

Oyster River Winegrowers- Hello, my name is Brian Smith and I am the winemaker at Oyster River Winegrowers. I have a traditional education in winemaking from Fresno State University, but I use that knowledge base to make distinct wines in ways that may have been common in pre-industrial times. I believe my role in the winemaking process to be more nature's assistant than winemaker. Our winery is very low tech. We use no refrigeration in our winemaking process and our winery is just very gently heated through the winter with wood harvested from our farm. Most of our fermentations start spontaneously with native yeasts that occur on the fruit and in the cellar, and play out over the course of several months. We add nothing and take nothing away from the natural chemistry of the fruit. No acidulation, deacidification, chaptalization, amelioration, tannins, enzymes, or yeast nutrients are used. All of our Ciders and our Sparkling Wines are bottled without the addition of any sulfites and are not filtered. Our still wines are minimally sulfited and filtered gently where necessary. Our farm supplies the fruit for "Panacea", our homegrown traditional method sparkling wine, and a good portion of our Cider. In addition to these products I enjoy making wines with grapes from other regions that inspire me.

THE CIDERS:

The Winterport Winery- owned by Michael and Joan Anderson, opened its doors in the fall of 2001 but it really had its beginning in the Christmas gift of a home winemaking kit some 30 years earlier. What was a hobby then has now become a full time work and a family involved business - what used be stored in the family basement now occupies the 3200 sq. ft. winery and 1100 sq. ft. tasting room. Our tasting room is a wonderful place to sample some of our wines. Come also to browse through our retail store and find that unique gift idea such as wine related items or something for that hard-to-shop for person.

THE CIDERS:

Traditional Hard Cider- a semi-dry hard cider made with a blend of our own locally-grown apples ina 750ml champagne bottle.

Blueberry Hard Cider- a semi-sweet hard apple cider with blueberries handpicked from our farm. The pigments in blueberries respond to changes in pH and appear pinlk when blended with our tart apple cider, giving this cider a natural rose color.

Quince Cider- Delightfully refreshing and tart, this limited edition cider features our traditional blend of apples and Quince from the farm. The Quince fruit, traditionally used in membrillo, jams and jellies, adds a bright finish to our fresh pressed apples.

Cayford Orchards- A six generation family farm, raising fresh seasonal fruit. The Orchard grows 1200 trees on 18 acres.We raise 57 different varieties,specializing in heirloom apples. But growing a range of fruit like, berries, peaches and pears.Just to name a few.

THE CIDER:

Bar Harbor Cidar House English-style Dry Cider- ​ It’s delicious and may be the best cider you’ve never tasted.

Urban Farm Fermentory- Founded in March 2010 by entrepreneur Eli Cayer, a Mainer himself, the Urban Farm Fermentory (or UFF) is an experimental fermentation center. We source as many local ingredients as possible in an attempt to highlight and preserve Maine's unique terroir. Our array of fresh pressed Maine apple cider is spontaneously (or wild) fermented in a Farmhouse style until it's bone dry & tart. "Spontaneous fermentation" utilizes naturally-occurring yeast in the air and on the fruit, which means even the yeast culture in our cider is local. Our mead, made with raw Maine honey, has a similarly unique flavor: drier and crisper than many versions. And our potent, probiotic Kombucha (fermented tea), with its 1.5% ABV and tart, acidic bite, is one of the few true examples of the form left after the infamous kombucha crackdown of 2011.

Bar Harbor Cellars- is located at Sweet Pea Farm in Bar Harbor, Maine. For over a generation, Sweet Pea Farm has grown fresh cut flowers and produce for local consumption. Our vineyard, begun in 2003, is part of our commitment to sustainable agriculture here on Mount Desert Island. We now produce and bottle wine from both European and local fruit and invite guests to visit our farm and tour the facility from mid-May through mid-October.

THE CIDER:

Maine Mead Works' CiderMaker- product is a dry style cider made with fresh-pressed Maine McIntosh apples. At 4.5%ABV, this cider is fermented with an American ale yeast at a cooler temperature for a clean, crisp finish.